29 Best Sights in South Australia, Australia

These magnificent formal gardens include an international rose garden, giant Amazonian water lilies, an avenue of magnificent Moreton Bay fig trees, acres of green lawns, and a gorgeous Victorian palm house. The Bicentennial Conservatory—the largest single-span greenhouse in the southern hemisphere—provides an environment for lowland rain-forest species such as the cassowary palm and torch ginger. The Santos Museum of Economic Botany contains fascinating exhibits on the commercial use of some species, and on-site Restaurant Botanic utilizes many plants grown on-site in exquisite degustations. In summer the Moonlight Cinema series screens new, classic, and cult films in adjacent Botanic Park at sunset; if you forget a picnic blanket you can hire one as well as buy drinks and snacks. Tickets sell fast, so plan ahead. Check the website for workshops, events, and exhibitions in the park.

Many famous Australian painters, including Tom Robbins, Margaret Preston, and Sidney Nolan are represented alongside Renaissance and British artworks. But the real jewel is the collection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander works that showcases artists, including Albert Namatjira, Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, and John Prince Siddon. There is also a café and bookshop on-site.

The eminently approachable beach in this affluent coastal suburb offers white sand, gently lapping waves, summer entertainment, and a square known for popular dining spots. You'll find families spread out along the shore, and there's plenty of space on the wide lawns to enjoy a picnic or fish-and-chips. The jetty is perfect for walking or fishing—drop a line in the water and try your luck. During summer, Henley Beach Square comes alive with live music and festivals while eateries along Henley Beach Road bring the world to your plate—Asian, African, Mediterranean, and Indian mix with local cuisine and incredible gelato. Amenities: food and drink; parking; toilets. Best for: sunrise; sunset; swimming; walking.

Renowned cook and food writer Maggie Beer is an icon of Australian cuisine. Burned-fig jam, ice cream, aged red wine vinegar, verjuice (a golden liquid made from unfermented grape juice and used for flavoring), and her signature Pheasant Farm pâté are some of the delights you can taste and buy at Maggie Beer's Farm Shop. Treat-filled picnic baskets are available all day to take out or dip into on the deck overlooking a tree-fringed pond full of turtles. Book ahead for interactive paid cooking demonstrations (A$60) and guided tastings.

This imposing Victorian building with an eye-catching clock tower made from local stone has looked out over the city since 1866. Tours visit the Colonel Light Room, where objects used to map and plan Adelaide are exhibited, and there are regular art exhibitions. The balcony of the Town Hall is famous for the appearance of the Beatles in 1964, which attracted the venue's largest crowd to date: approximately 300,000 screaming fans.

Seven kilometers (4½ miles) west of Victor Harbor, the Bluff is where whalers once stood lookout for their quarry. Today the granite outcrop, also known as Rosetta Head, serves the same purpose in very different circumstances. It's a steep, 1,400-foot climb to the top via a formed trail to enjoy the bluff views, or you can park near the summit.

The surf here is very consistent thanks to the exposed reef break. Most waves are dumpers, hence the name Boomer, and can get up to 15 feet high. As a result, this is a beach for experienced surfers and strong swimmers. Waves decrease toward Victor Harbor, providing lower surf and usually calm conditions. In summer the surf tends to be mostly flat, but you need to be vigilant of rocks, rips, and sharks year-round. There is an excellent view down the entire beach from the headland at Port Elliot, which makes a good lookout spot for southern right whales in winter. Amenities: lifeguards; parking (no fee); toilets. Best for: surfing; swimming.

This town full of character—and characters—about 44 km (27 miles) northeast of Clare is worth a detour. The discovery of copper in 1845 made Burra the country's largest inland town but the ore ran out quickly (the biggest mine closed after just 32 years) and Burra settled into a quiet existence. Today the 11 km (7 miles) Heritage Trail leads you to 49 sites related to Burra's rich mining past: the A$30 Heritage Passport (available from the visitor information center) includes a booklet with information about each of the sites on the trail and free entry to eight locked sites and museums—these include the massive open-cut Monster Mine; two "homes" dug into the banks of Burra Creek, where some 2,000 people lived before a flood in 1851; and colonial Redruth Gaol, which appeared in Australian film Breaker Morant. It includes a guidebook, map, and a key to eight locked historic sites and four museums.

A sliver of land stretching southeast of the Fleurieu Peninsula, this park hugs the coast for more than 150 km (94 miles). Many Australians became aware of the Coorong's beauty from the 1970s film Storm Boy, which told the story of a boy's friendship with a pelican. These curious birds are one reason why the Coorong is a wetland area of world standing.

Located just 11 km (7 miles) from the Adelaide city center, palindromic Glenelg is a busy seaside suburb known for its sandy beach, historic jetty, volleyball courts, bustling shops, hotels, restaurants, bars, and The Beachouse entertainment complex. Trams lead the way to the beach, carrying passengers from the city along Jetty Road while pedestrians weave in and out of the various retail outlets that line the strip. A day trip to Glenelg is a summer tradition, but the easygoing beach vibe encourages everyone from backpackers to more discerning travelers to make it their Adelaide base. The beach is large and sandy with a very gentle slope, and the waters are calm. Expect to see large crowds on hotter days and, depending on the season, seaweed can be a problem. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking; showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: sunset; swimming; walking. 

This island is linked to the mainland by a 650-yard causeway, along which Clydesdales pull a double-decker tram (you can also walk across). Once you arrive on Granite Island Recreation Park, the gentle 2-km (1-mile) Kaiki Walk follows a sculpture-lined path that offers lovely ocean views.

This sandy beach with a comically short jetty is enclosed by Freemans Knob and Commodore Point. The two prominent headlands ensure the bay is well protected and keep the waves relatively low, making this a great swimming destination for families. However, it’s worth noting that waves can be heavy during a high swell and surge up the steep beach. The safest swimming is at the western end near the Surf Life Saving Club and Flying Fish café. Fishing is popular around the jetty and boundary rocks. Amenities: parking; toilets. Best for: swimming; walking.

The multifaceted Centre of Immersive Light and Art houses a restaurant, café, and live music venue, but the second-floor Light Room Studio is the beating heart of this high-tech complex. Accessed via a gallery that showcases works sitting at the intersection of art and technology, this one-of-a-kind venue is enclosed by 1,500 square feet of high-definition LED screens that serve as canvases for digital artists who create stunningly intricate digital gardens, rain forest, and aquaria. Exhibitions change regularly.

This striking series of buttes and jagged hills centered on the Moon Plain is of great cultural and spiritual significance to the Antakir­in­ja Matun­t­jara Yankun­yt­jat­jara traditional owners but to the untrained eye is reminiscent of the most spectacular parts of the American West. There are fossils and patches of petrified forest in this strange landscape, which has appealed to makers of apocalyptic films; Mad Max 3—Beyond Thunderdome was filmed here, as was Ground Zero. The scenery is especially evocative early in the morning or at sunset when the colors come alive, and can get very windy, so be sure to bring appropriate clothing. Kanku-Breakaways Conservation Park is 30 km (19 miles) northeast of Coober Pedy.

Dual names that recognize Adelaide’s Kaurna heritage are increasingly common throughout the city, and this 10½-km (6½-mile) trail explores 24 sites of significance to the Kaurna people as it meanders along the banks of the River Torrens/Karrawirra Parri before finishing up at Victoria Square/Tarntanyangga. Along the way, artworks, interpretive signs, and historical records illuminate the everyday lives and customs of the Kaurna people before, during, and after colonization, as well as showing how much the landscape has changed in just two centuries.

A family-friendly tribute to the purple flower that adorns the hills, Lyndoch Lavender Farm grows more than 80 varieties on 6 lush acres high above Lyndoch. Gourmet products infused with lavender are available for purchase, alongside essential oils, creams, and other products, including wine from the surrounding vineyards. The most spectacular time to visit is during flowering season from August to September.

One of South Australia's most popular beaches for beginner and intermediate surfers, Middleton is known for waves that roll in gently rather than breaking violently. As a result it’s perfect for those still honing their technique, and several companies offer surf lessons here year-round. The entire beach is composed of fine sand that slopes down very gently and creates predictable, even sets that also suit bodyboarding. Thanks to the very wide surf zone, it is moderately safe to swim in the inner surf zone on the bar, but swimmers are advised not to venture beyond the first line of breakers as strong currents occupy the trough between the sand bars. Amenities: parking (no fee); toilets. Best for: surfing; walking.

Exhibits in the converted 19th-century Destitute Asylum, which also served as a school where Aboriginal children were forced to train as servants to the British, explore the origins, hopes, and fates of some of the millions of immigrants who settled in Australia over the past two centuries. The museum is starkly realistic, and the bleak welcome that awaited many migrants is graphically illustrated, while temporary exhibitions point to a more hopeful future.

This futuristic “museum of discovery” is aimed at young adults, but the rotating exhibitions that tackle surprisingly ambitious themes are designed to appeal to all ages. Interactivity is at the heart of the displays, which incorporate technology in a range of innovative ways and encourage guests to explore often complex themes and question what their impact on (and in) the future will be. In addition to Australia’s first Science on a Sphere, a giant globe that projects a range of data onto a 6-foot diameter globe, the Museum includes a café.

A panoply of rhododendrons, magnolias, ferns, and native and exotic trees ensure these gardens are glorious throughout fall and spring; free guided walks leave the lower parking lot on Thursday at 10:30 am year-round except on extreme fire danger days when the forecast is above 35°C (95°F).

This timber, steel, and glass building resembles a huge wine barrel from the outside and the soaring open-plan interior provides a suitably spectacular setting for the incredible showcase of Australian wines. The  Wine Discovery Guided Tour, offered daily at 11 am, takes you from Neolithic pottery jars to modern stainless-steel tanks, and you can even make your own virtual wine on a touch-screen computer. Guided tastings start at A$50 per person, while the on-site Wined Bar features state-of-the-art enomatic servers pouring 120 wines drawn from all over Australia. Iconic drops, including Penfold's Grange and Henschke's Hill of Grace, make regular appearances, and there’s also a good all-day menu that includes a great selection of local cheeses and smoked meats.

Ten Corinthian columns are the most striking features of this neoclassical parliament building. It was completed in two stages 50 years apart: the west wing in 1889 and the east wing in 1939. Alongside it is Old Parliament House, which dates from 1843. Free guided tours of both houses are offered on weekdays at 10 and 2 when parliament is not sitting, and the viewing gallery is open to the public when parliament is sitting.

A very big brother to the 19th-century Magill Estate in Adelaide, this massive wine-making outfit in the center of Nuriootpa lets you sip Shiraz, Cabernet, Merlot, Chardonnay, and Riesling blends at the cellar door. The Barossa Ultimate Tasting offers a rotating selection of the winery’s heaviest hitters, and you can add a taste of the celebrated Grange for A$50. There are also 90-minute blending workshops for A$95 per person.

The area's first winery, Sevenhill Cellars was founded by the Jesuits, and they still run the show, with all profits going to education, mission work, and helping the needy within Australia. In the 1940s the winery branched out from altar wine to commercial production, and today makes a variety of styles including Riesling, Viognier, Touriga, and fortified wines. Enjoy a tasting, then head on a self-guided tour of the grounds that takes in the cellars, the cemetery, and the church crypt where Jesuits have been interred since 1865.

This museum's Aboriginal Cultures Gallery houses the largest collection of Indigenous Australian cultural material in the world. Old black-and-white films show traditional dancing, and touch screens convey a sense of desert life. Also in the museum are an exhibit commemorating renowned Antarctic explorer Sir Douglas Mawson, after whom Australia's main Antarctic research station is named; an Opal Fossils Gallery housing the world's most expensive opal collection and the fantastic opalized partial skeleton of a 19-foot-long plesiosaur; and a biodiversity gallery. There's also a café overlooking a grassy lawn. If you are traveling during local school holidays, there are fantastic interactive craft and education activities for children for a small fee.

A reminder of the religious tolerance espoused by the colony of South Australia, this Catholic church is the oldest cathedral in Australia. The Gothic revival structure includes a soaring nave, stone arches, side aisles with dark-wood ceilings, and beautiful stained-glass windows. For a self-guided tour, a useful free booklet called “19 minute Cathedral Tour” is available by the entrance.

The spires and towers of this cathedral loom over adjacent Adelaide Oval and dramatically contrast with the nearby city skyline. St. Peter's is the epitome of Anglican architecture in Australia, and an important example of grand Gothic Revival. Free 45-minute guided tours are available Wednesday at 11 am.

Sip smooth Chardonnay while overlooking Eastern Cove at this calm, cool, and pristine place among Kangaroo Island's thriving wine industry. You can sample wines at the cellar door, and opt for the shareable Savoury Platter: a selection of Kangaroo Island and regional cheeses, KI Source Relish, South Rock Salami, local olives, crackers, and more. Alternately, try a Dukkah Plate from the Fleurieu, served with local Wild olive oil and delicious local bread.

Known as the "place of the red kangaroo dreaming" to Kaurna traditional owners and designated by William Light as the geographical center of Adelaide, this public space is the city's focal point and a popular meeting spot. The fountain in the square, which is lit up at night, celebrates the three rivers that supply Adelaide's water; the Torrens, Onkaparinga, and Murray are each represented by a stylized man or woman paired with an Australian native bird. The park hosts many events and attracts lunching office workers while shoppers and tourists come and go from the Glenelg-City Tram, which stops here on its way through the city.